British heavyweight Joe Joyce discussed Tyson Fury overnight at his gym out in Vegas where he has just moved to prepare for his next fight against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois.
Speaking to VegasInsider.com in this wide-ranging interview, Joyce shares insight from sparring with Fury when he was 30 stone.
Also, getting inside his mind and how he can beat Wilder. Plus, a mad anecdote about a Zumba class!
JOE JOYCE ON:
TYSON FURY ANECDOTE
So there’s this Zumba class going on in a pool down at the David Lloyd leisure centre, full of old ladies doing their thing – and then Tyson comes up behind Sam [Jones], pulls his shorts down, slaps him on the a**e, and pushes him in the pool in front of all old ladies.
“There was also that time when he put load of chillies down cousin Hughie’s pants, and when he smashing watermelons over his head before the Klitschko fight. That’s just Tyson.”
SPARRING FURY/HOW TO BEAT FURY
“I first sparred him in Bolton when he was 30 stone or something. But I still couldn’t hit him. He was doing rope-a-dope on ropes, slipping my shots. I took it a bit easy on him because he was so out of shape, but he could still dance rings around me even then.
“If we ever fought, i’d have to go full juggernaut style on him and not let him breathe. You know, cut the ring down and don’t let him get going because when gets into a rhythm he comes at you from mad angles. His flicker job is so fast. It would be a good fight.”
INSIDE THE MIND OF FURY
“I think he’s got bipolar because he gets really, really high energy, and then he gets really low. He battles these mental things. After the Klitschko fight he fulfilled his childhood dream, and then obviously after that he went off the rails and didn’t want to live, and was doing drugs and alcohol.
“That was the lowest point. But then he picked himself back up, got back in there with Wilder, beat him on points really, and he’s been back in the gym – that’s been his medication.”
ON WILDER’S TACTICS
“I think he’ll still be Tyson Fury, fighting to his strengths. But I think him and his new coach must have looked at the first fight and realised that Tyson troubled Wilder at some points of the fight.
“Tyson’s talking about a second round KO, but I don’t know how realistic that is – but you know, he’s a big heavy guy and he can he can punch a bit. The punches that you can’t see hurt the most. So I see it going the same way.
“Tyson may out-box Wilder but then if he makes a mistake then he’s gonna get caught. The second time Wilder fights a person he is a different beast, very patient like a sniper as he waits for his opportunities.”
TYSON CHANGING TRAINER
When he was with Ben Davison, Tyson wanted to have another, more experienced trainer with him, knowing what to do in those sticky situations. Sugar Hill has got that experience. Also it could be financial thing – boxing is a business.
